With projects like the Burj Khalifa under his belt, architect Adrian Smith has become synonymous with supertall skyscrapers – so it’s no surprise that his firm, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, is the creative force behind Imperial Tower, a 116-story tower that’s proposed for Mumbai. The only problem with building such a tall tower in Mumbai is dealing with the wind, but AS+GG have come up with a solution for that. The firm claims that the skinny tower is aerodynamically shaped to “confuse the wind.” Strange as that may sound, the tower will also feature several sky gardens that the firm says will further help to break up wind currents around the building.

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Post tags: "Adrian Smith", "AS+GG", Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, Bombay, gray water recycling, green skyscraper, green skyscrapers, high rises, Imperial Tower, India, Mumbai, rainwater harvesting, rainwater recycling, Sky-Gardens, skyscrapers, solar gain, supertall buildings

The 20th & Highbury laneway house is a new infill mini home in Vancouver that was built by Lanefab for a couple with an interest in urban gardening. The project features rooftop gardening beds adjacent to the south-facing second floor balcony, and it integrates a 700 gallon rainwater storage tank to provide year-round rainwater for watering the property.

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Read the rest of Lanefab’s Rainwater Recycling Highbury House is Topped With a Rooftop Garden

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", energy efficient home, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, Highbury House, lanefab, laneway, Prefab Housing, rainwater recycling, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, urban gardening

Read the rest of Turenscape Architects Turns a 54-Acre Garbage Dump Into a Luscious Low-Maintenance Park in China

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Post tags: Botanical, china, garbage dump, green renovation, low maintenance, native plants, rainwater recycling, regenerative landscape design, Tianjin, Turenscape

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Architecture, bere architects, eco design, energy efficient, green design, green roof, London, passivehaus, rainwater recycling, roof garden, solar thermal hot water heating, sustainable design, the muse, triple glazing, urban gardens

Pet-Tree is a vertical eco gardening system made from recycled PET containers. The design consists of structural plastic pieces and PET pots that are combined to form a tree-like shape. The system also has a built in water circulation system, and it harvests rainwater while feeding plants through drip irrigation. The project allows space-starved urban gardeners to grow a wide range of plants, and it’s a great option for organic growers. Designed by Dr.Hakan Gürsu from Designnobis, the Pet-Tree has been honored with a Green Dot Award and an International Design Award.

+ Designobis

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Post tags: container garden, Gardening, green design, green dot, Green Dot Award, green gardening, pet plant pots, pet-tree, rainwater recycling, Recycled Materials, recycled PET, sustainable design, urban gardening

The Cascading Creek House by Bercy Chen Studio was conceived less as a house and more as an outgrowth of the limestone aquifers in the geography of Central Texas. The roof is configured so as to create a natural basin for the collection of rainwater, not unlike the vernal pools found in the outcroppings of the Texas Hill Country. These basins harness additional natural flows through the use of photovoltaic and solar hot water panels. The water, electricity, and heat which are harvested on the roof tie into an extensive climate conditioning system which utilizes water source heat pumps and radiant loops to supply both the heating and cooling for the residence. The climate system is connected to geothermal ground loops as well as pools and water features, thereby establishing a system of heat exchange which minimizes reliance on electricity or gas

+ Bercy Chen Studio

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Post tags: bercy chen studio, cascading creek house, green architecture sustainable architecture, Green Building, green design, rainwater collection, rainwater recycling, sustainable design, texas

Read the rest of Sonnenschiff: Solar City Produces 4X the Energy it Consumes

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Post tags: german green home, green development, green housing, green mixed use, green nieghborhood, passivhaus, rainwater catchement, rainwater recycling, Rolf Disch, solar design, solar development, solar neighborhood, wood chip boiler

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Post tags: "solar energy", "wind power", Centro de Recepción de Visitantes de la Aldea Ceremonial de Orongo, composting toilets, Easter Island, green design, rainwater recycling, Rapa Nui National Park, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, visitor center

Read the rest of Zaragoza’s Solar-Powered Spanish Pavilion is Shielded by a Ceramic Forest

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Post tags: ascer, biomimicry, decorativa, green architecture, green design, Patxi Mangado, rainwater recycling, spanish ceramic tiles, Spanish Pavilion, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, zaragoza expo

Studio A, Inc. is known for its green residential projects, and this 5,000 square-foot home on Johns Island in Charleston, South Carolina is perhaps one of their finest works to date. The residence explores a full range of sustainable technologies, including geothermal HVAC, foam-in-place insulation, windows constructed of reclaimed cypress, a vegetated roof, rain-screen wall construction, and a cistern for storm-water collection and landscape watering. The interior of the home also features efficient lighting, water-saving plumbing, and segregating functions that allow portions of the house to be closed off when it is only partially occupied. Embracing all the principles of sustainability, it is also a clear example of why clean-lined, contemporary architecture is the perfect palette for environmentally responsible design.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", geothermal hvac, Green Building, green design, rainwater recycling, studio a inc, sustainable design

Italian firm Studiodosi’s proposed building for the waterfront in Leeds, UK definitely packs a radical punch with its bright green facade, but its sustainable features are just as notable. Named “The Calls Henge,” the design was developed for the 36 Calls competition, which challenged architects to submit proposals for a site by the same address. Situated by the northern bank of the river Aire, the verdant building (which actually looks more like a hedge than a henge) is an eye-popping addition to the area.

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Post tags: geothermal heating and cooling, Green Building, green design, London, rainwater recycling, sustainable archtiecture, sustainable design, The Calls Henge by Studiodosi, UK

Austrian architects Tobias Weiss and Gernot Reisenhofer have designed a beautiful series of terraced hillside homes that save energy by blending into their environment. Nestled against the surrounding hills, each green-roofed apartment takes advantage of passive solar design, rainwater recycling, and photovoltaic sunshades.

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Post tags: austria mountain houses, gernot reisenhofer, Green Building, green design, green roof, rainwater recycling, sustainable design, tobias weiss

The Kokopo House proves that luxury, eco-minded amenities and off-grid living may co-exist. Peering over the top of the forest, the home’s open structure creates a luxurious treehouse-like escape deep within Papua New Guinea’s volcanic region. Open to the elements, the Kokopo House contains no windows, allowing for natural circulation to pass through the barrier-free house. The walls encourage wind movement and cross ventilation through geometric shapes and patterns that are inspired by the flow of volcanic lava.

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Post tags: Architecture, green design, kokopo house, luxury residence, Papua New Guinea, rainwater recycling, sustainable design

Pioneering the way for sustainable homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Milder residence blends beautiful adobe architecture with elegant touches of modernism. Conceived by Boston-based Signer Harris Architects, the stunning off-grid home is extremely energy and water efficient, and will serve as a model for future developments in the Galiesto Basin Preserve.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", desert architecture, energy efficient home, galiesto basin preserve, Green Building, http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/galisteo-ed04.jpg" alt="signer harris architects, rainwater recycling, santa fe off-the-grid residence

Sustainable design superstar Michael Jantzen thrills us again with the oh-so-adaptable R-House. Intended as a vacation home, it is constructed nearly entirely from Accoya, a new ‘species’ of sustainably-sourced wood designed for ultra-high performance and class 1 durability. Rotating walls slide around the exterior of the structure to keep sun and wind coming and going in all the right places. The house has both passive and prefab qualities and is built to be configured and assembled on-site. Photovoltaic cells and wind turbines will provide the house with all necessary energy, keeping it entirely off the power grid, and rainwater can be collected for washing and flushing.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", green building concept, michael jantzen, michael jantzen r-house, off-grid r-house, r-house, rainwater recycling, renewable energy

Outside of Rio de Janeiro, on a beautiful little beach with amazing blue water, sits a little house with a flowering roof that shades and protects like a big tropical banana leaf. Designed by Mareines + Patalano, the open air abode is meant to encourage interaction and connection between man and nature. With verandas and open spaces in between rooms and no corridors, the tropical beach house is an ideal place for social gatherings and parties. The open layout also takes advantage of trade winds that blow in from the sea, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling.


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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", biomorphic, brazilian leaf house, Green Building, mareines and Patalano, organic architecture, passive cooling, rainwater recycling, rio de janeiro

After four years of construction the world’s most sustainable skyscraper is nearly completed! Situated at One Bryant park in Midtown Manhattan, the crystalline structure will be the first high-rise to receive LEED Platinum certification. Designed for Bank of America by Cook+Fox Architects and Gensler and developed by The Durst Organization, the luminous spire will introduce a dose of levity to New York’s skyline while incorporating an excellent assortment of sustainable strategies.

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Post tags: "sustainable skyscraper", 1 bryant park, bank of america headquarters, Green Building, leet platinum skyscraper, new york high rise, rainwater recycling, Recycled Materials

As students return to campuses across the country for the start of another semester, colleges are starting to showcase some serious strides in sustainability. Some are investing in wind power and other alternative energies to help lower their carbon footprint, while others are endeavoring to green their facilities. Penn State is leading the charge with its gorgeous LEED Gold Stuckeman School of Architecture.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Green Building, LEED gold, penn state school of architecture, pennsylvania state university, rainwater recycling, stuckeman family building

Sheathed in walls of living green and resembling a pagoda emblazoned with a curving copper rooftop, this UniCube dormitory utilizes an impressive set of sustainable features to regulate its temperature, harvest rainwater, and produce its own energy. Conceived by Andrew Southwood-Jones, the design recently took top honors for Architecture in Autodesk’s 2008 Student Design Challenge.

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Post tags: "living wall", "sustainable architecture", Andrew Southwood-Jones, autodesk, Autodesk Student Design Challenge, Build Something Design contest, green dormitory, rainwater recycling, solar panels, unicube

In 2006 the AIA set forth an architecture challenge to create ‘A House for an Ecologist’– a home base from which a US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecologist in Residence could live and conduct field research. Raphaelle and Alfredo Maul, of Maul Dwellings in San Sebastian, Spain, answered the call with The Landscape House – a site-sensitive, passive solar dwelling designed to fuse environmental performance with aesthetic integrity, building science with architectural excellence.

Read the rest of PREFAB FRIDAY: Landscape House for an Ecologist

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Post tags: Maul Dwellings, Prefab Housing, rainwater harvesting, rainwater recycling, The Landscape House